A collection of 150 simple step-by-step recipes that still have gourmet appeal, The Modern Baker strives to bring you baking success with the bulk of the preparation taking under one hour. Nick Malgieri distills years of teaching and experience into these detailed recipes for virtually every savory or sweet yeast bread, quick bread, muffin, pastry, dough, and batter. Recipes are thorough and include descriptions of how batters and doughs are supposed to appear at each stage of preparation. The Modern Baker is as necessary and essential as a good oven; Nick Malgieri leads cooks through the simple art of creating an international assortment of delicious sweet and savory baked goods, interweaving techniques and helpful sidebars.

Most helpful customer reviews

This is a great book! It is simple preparation for classic type recipes and it is exciting and realistic! Also, the author is available on-line to answer questions and while not a Canadian, he seems like a nice guy! I borrowed this book from the library and promptly bought a copy for myself and one for my sister. Any baking foodie will want this book!

Most Helpful Customer Reviews on Amazon.com (beta)

Amazon.com:
37 reviews

28 of 30 people found the following review helpful

Decent book but the editor should be fired.March 15 2010

By
Seattle Baker
- Published on Amazon.com

Format: Hardcover

The recipes in this book are good and have produced great results, but they are wrought with errors. I have found misspellings, errant directions, omitted directions and an incomplete index. I can't imagine a first-time baker having any success with this book.

For example, I made the instant Puff Pastry (which was great) but found the directions lacking in many areas: there was no mention of the necessary capacity of the food processor (which I found out the hard way when mine overflowed), there was no descriptive of "pulse" which may mean 5 seconds to me and 10 seconds to the author, there were no descriptive qualities of what the dough should look like once it was pulsed and/or rolled out (large butter chunks, small butter chunks, etc.), and when I finally got to making the strudel there was a folding direction for the bottom layer that was misleading and I eventually discovered was completely wrong.

After a couple of weeks I decided to go back and try again with croissants. Too bad they were omitted in the index.

19 of 20 people found the following review helpful

Nick does it againDec 6 2008

By
MrsM
- Published on Amazon.com

Format: Hardcover
Verified Purchase

Nick Malgieri's books are always a delight, and this latest one is no exception. His recipes are wonderful, directions crystal clear. My only complaint (and this complaint is against other baking book writers as well), PLEASE put weights of ingredients in as well as cup amounts. Many home bakers weigh now, and we would love to have more precise measurements.

39 of 47 people found the following review helpful

Nick Malgieri's Best Book YetOct. 9 2008

By
John Goecke
- Published on Amazon.com

Format: Hardcover

I'm a bit of a cookbook geek with over 300 in my collection. I have purchased several of Nick Malgieri's books through the years. I have to say that "The Mondern Baker" is by far his best yet. It seems like the book he was meant to write. As with all his books, the instructions are clear and the recipes well tested to make sure they work every time in the home kitchen. What sets this book apart from his other works and most other baking books on the market is the wide range of recipes. They really do resonate with the modern cook. I highly recommend this book and I hope more people will give it a try.

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful

Great recipes and photos, horrible bookJan. 16 2012

By
Kawage Sol Crist
- Published on Amazon.com

Format: Hardcover

I love this book, every single recipe I've tried has turned out fantastic. I can't stop baking from it.My review is for the graphic design of this book, its readability and ease of use. It is really awful. Readability is just a joke. The graphic designer (or maybe just an intern?) went for a "modern" look, never minding to ask his or her mother if she managed to understand the text. he ingredient lists are set in very tiny type and it's a headache to make out what they say. If you're reading the recipe while baking you will probably miss something. What I've resorted to doing is transcribe the recipe and then use my notes while baking. Going back to the book is a nightmare.

Also a recipe for a cake with frosting should have in my opinion two clear procedures. What if I only want to make the frosting? well, I will have to go spelunking through the bad typography to see if I find what I'm looking for. I hope the editor hires a proper typographic designer and fixes these issues. Nick deserves it.

10 of 12 people found the following review helpful

Incomplete recipeMarch 27 2009

By
M. Coggins
- Published on Amazon.com

Format: Hardcover

I took this book out from the library and quickly found many recipes that looked appealing-many tarts, muffins, waffles, etc. I picked a Banana Walnut Tart recipe and after reading it before making it I realized the recipe is incomplete. It says to bake the tart until the crust is baked through and the filling is set... but gives no indication of how long that might take. 10, 20, 30 minutes? I have no clue. Then the last step says to let it cool completely before filling... the problem is the recipe already told me to fill the tart and bake it. It makes no sense.I have to agree with others that the Ingredients list for the recipes is in the tiniest font and is hard to read, and I am 23. The photos are great and the recipes sound wonderful but there needs to be more revision.